Kids who are allergic to foods can overcome their reactions through therapy that involves giving them increasing doses of the specific foods, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and other hospitals.

The research adds to what doctors already know about food allergies.

In this case, they used eggs for the treatment, known as oral immunotherapy. Past research involved milk and peanuts.

For now, the research is still considered experimental and isn’t recommended outside of a study. But the researchers say it’s promising for the four percent of American kids with food allergies. Egg allergies are among the most common, and for some kids the reactions last their whole lives.

“More than a quarter of the children in our study lost their egg allergies altogether, but we also saw dramatic improvements in those who didn't, which in and of itself is an important therapeutic achievement,” Dr. Robert Wood, director of allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, said in a statement. “These children went from having serious allergic reactions after a single bite of an egg-containing cookie to consuming eggs with minimal or no symptoms.”